Titanic Struggle Recap: Undefeated!

The Good
–Two fun come-from-behind wins in their first two games. This is why we watch baseball, eh?

–Simply outstanding start for Brandon Finnegan: six innings pitched, two runs on three hits, nine strikeouts, one walk. He made a bad pitch to Maikel Franco in the first inning, but was brilliant otherwise. Oh yeah, he also got his first major league hit after a beautiful 10-pitch at-bat. Nice game, Brandon.

–Eugenio Suarez hit the ball hard four times tonight. One of those was his first home run of the season, in the bottom of the first. Another was a line drive single to lead off the ninth inning.

–Speaking of that ninth inning…that was fun, wasn’t it? With Cincinnati behind 2-1, Suarez leads off with a single, Joey Votto gave one a ride to left center, but it was corralled for an out. Then Devin Mesoraco tops a dribbler about fifteen feet up the third base line and beats it out for an infield single.

After Tyler Holt came on to pinch run for Mesoraco, Jay Bruce singled sharply to left field (for his second hit of the game), but Suarez held up at third (a good call by 3B coach Billy Hatcher; in past years, Suarez would have been waved around and been out at the plate). So, with bases loaded, Scott Schebler drilled a pitch to the wall for a double. Two runs scored, and Schebler was mobbed by his teammates.

–Another game, another gorgeous defensive play from Billy Hamilton in center field. The guy still can’t hit — 0-3, two strikeouts — but his glove is magical. And that glove, along with his baserunning, is exactly why Hamilton is still in a major league lineup.

–Caleb Cotham pitched two shutout innings in his Reds debut. Blake Wood was a little shaky, but he pitched a scoreless ninth and picked up the win in his own Reds debut.

The Bad
–Zack Cozart only had one hit in four at-bats tonight. Lame. I felt pretty confident that he was going to hit 1.000 this year.

–Joey Votto was 0-4. That’s not good. I bet he’ll have better nights

Not-So-Random Thoughts
–The Cincinnati Reds remain undefeated. You’re on notice, National League.

–Two strong starts from two young guys — Raisel Iglesias and Finnegan — to begin the season. If the Reds are going to pin their rebuilding hopes on the young arms…well, the early returns are promising.

–Brandon Phillips was a late scratch from the starting lineup thanks to a stomach bug, we’re told.

–You can’t win ’em all if you don’t win the first two.

–Robert Stephenson, uber-prospect, makes his major league debut tomorrow afternoon. Until then, enjoy it, Reds fans.